Ethology of feral ponies in Serra d’Arga, Portugal

RENATA S MENDONÇAMONAMIE RINGHOFER, SHINYA YAMAMOTO, SOTA INOUE, SATOSHI

HIRATA

PRIMATE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, KYOTO UNIVERSITY

1er Symposium Équitation, langage et cognition

Previous workDevelopment and behavior of wild immature East Bornean orangutans

Primates and horses: the bridge The birth of primatology in Japan is linked to the study of wild horses

After the World War II, in 1948 the ethologist Kinji Imanishi and his students engaged in the study of feral ponies in Toi-peninsula

Matsuzawa and McGrew 2008

“One day, they encountered a troop of wild Japanese monkeys,

and this chance encounter led Imanishi to decide to study wild monkeys. So he went to Koshima island, which was close to the Toi-peninsula. Imanishi and his students

applied their method of individual recognition of horses to the monkeys, giving a nickname to each

monkey” (Matsuzawa and McGrew 2008) http://metropolisjapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cape-toi-banner1.jpg

Primates and horses: the bridgeJapanese were one of the pioneers of modern primatology

Imanishi’s focus was to seek the evolutionary origin of human society.

Started with the study of Japanese Macaques

Matsuzawa and McGrew 2008

Proto-culture in Japanese macaques

Explore African primates

Imanishi (center) and Itani (left) in search of wild gorillas in Uganda on March 6th 1958. (Photo from Itani Jun’ichiro Archives at PRI, Kyoto University.)

Primates and horses: the bridge

T. Nishida Y. Sugiyama M. Kawai J. Yamagiwa

Imanishi and Itani – efforts to start Primate Research Institute, in 1967

Kawai and Kawamura - founder professors, lead the fieldwork on primates

Kano and Sugiyama - continue the field-work in Africa , chimps and bonobos

◦ Field work in African countries

◦ Mahale, Bossou, Congo, Uganda

Photos by T. Matsuzawa

Japanese and Portuguese connection The Ai project study chimpanzee cognition, combines field work and laboratory work aiming to understand the evolution of human mind – Prof. T. Matsuzawa

1997: Cláudia Sousa (1974-2014), first Portuguese student went to study primates with Prof. Matsuzawa, in Japan

Bossou chimpanzees Numerical task, Ayumu

http://mahale.main.jp/PAN/13_2/13(2)_06.jpg http://www.saga-jp.org/SCCS/sccs02/abstracts/sousa.jpg Matsuzawa 2003; Inuoe and Matsuzawa 2007

Japanese and Portuguese connection Portugal has a long equestrian tradition (Mr. João Rodrigues) Iberian Peninsula contributed to the development of many other modern European horses and were later introduced and dispersed throughout the Americas

◦ Tree native horse breeds: Lusitano, Sorraia, Garrano ◦ Lusitano once developed for war and for bull-fighting ◦ Today is very important in the world of international equestrian sports

Feral ponies, garranos living in similar setting to ponies living in Toi Peninsula Japan

Gonzaga 2004; Luís et al. 2006

Prof Carlos Pereira Dr. Cláudia Sousa Prof T. Matsuzawa

May 2015: Prof Matsuzawa and I, went to Serra do Gerês to observed feral garranos

October 2015: Prof Matsuzawa and Prof Hirata and Prof Carlos visited Serra d’Arga Beginning of the collaboration to study feral garranos

2015: first paper published on horse cognition in PRI/Sorbonne by Tomonaga et al

Japanese and Portuguese connectionStudy of horses based on the knowledge of primatologists

Garranos in Gerês National Park, Portugal

MOU - Memorandum of Understanding for CooperationViana do Castelo, May 2016

Kyoto University (WRC and PRI) ◦ Wild life research Center

◦ Primate Research Institute

Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle ◦ Department LEA

City of Viana do Castelo

Associação o Caminho do Garrano

Horse studies in Japan

Development of Japanese primatology1950’s

2016Portuguese horses studies

Apply the knowledge and methods of primatology

to study horse cognition and behavior

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Japanese and Portuguese connection

Introduction: Garranos Important role during the war

Half of the XX century: used by farmers for transportation, where others horses could not travel

Small body size, short legs: ◦ Adapted to live in harsh environments: Mountainous areas with steep slopes

Nowadays, they lost their value not attractive like Lusitanos Used for tourism and sports, teaching children , exhibitions in traditional fairs

To date, most studies conducted in garranos focus primarily on a veterinary perspective which have a direct applicability to the use of horses by man

Gonzaga 2004; Luís et al.2006

Their diet consists of bushes : tojo, urze, giesta, carqueja, silva…

Young leaves and berries of carvalho, vidoerio, medronheiro, azevinho, faia …

Introduction: Garranos

http://floresdoareal.blogspot.fr/2015/02/familia-ericaceae-generos-daboecia.html

Quercus robur Betula pendulaErica arboreaUlex europaeus

Gonçalves et al 2009

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000AZWe4NaaAwc/fit=1000x750/Iberian-Wolf-MIBWO014.jpg

Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) Human activities

e.g. capture

fairs

consumption

Car accidents

Annual fires

Fire risk Data from

DECIF

Classified as an endangered species, by EU

Introduction: Garranos’ major threats

Vos 2000; Gonçalves et al. 2009

Montaria Serra d’Arga, Viana do Castelo

Study site: Serra d’Arga

Study site: Serra d’Arga

• Sunny day • Cloudy day

• View from the school

Study site: Serra d’Arga

Study periods➢ February – March 2016 : ID, collect basic data ➢ May-June 2016 : ID, collect basic data, master student ➢ October 2016: ID, collect basic data, master student

Future plans ◦ Cover birth season (May to August 2017)

Team in the field➢Dr. Satoshi Hirata (Professor, Kyoto University)

➢Dr. Shinya Yamamoto (Associate professor, Kobe University)

➢Dr. Monamie Ringhofer (Pos-doc, Kobe University)

➢Renata Mendonça (PhD candidate, Kyoto University)

➢Sota Inoue (Master Student, Kyoto University

Topics covered➢ Female reproductive ecology, development and mother-foal relationships ➢Behavioral synchrony, social learning, division of labor ➢Position of individuals in the group, social network ➢Inter-group relationships

➢Site management ➢Communication with villagers ➢Identification of individuals

Methods Data collection by focal and scan sampling + Ad libitum ◦ 20 min focal + 1 hour group

Mark position/bones found with GPS Video recording (2 sony handycam) Drone to study horse position and group decision making during movement Experiments to determine social hierarchy

Collection of fecal samples for DNA and hormonal analysis

GPS collaring to study group movement and ranging area

Non-invasive

methods

Methods

Photo by InuoeDJI Phantom 3View of the drone

Hand camera

Methods Group camera

How to Identify?Coloration chart Body marks chart

Subject ID Give name of Japanese prefectures ◦ E.g. Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka group

Create an ID book

Around 160 individuals identified ◦ 44 foals

◦ 27 groups

Groups: 27 groups

Group composition ◦ 1 male, multiple females (harem)

◦ 2 male groups

◦ Bachelor groups (all male groups)

Group size varies from 2 to 14 individuals

Tokyo group

Shimane group

  Group Males Young males foals females Total1 Tokyo 1 0 4 13 142 Ibaragi 1 1 4 8 103 Aichi 1 1 1 7 94 Toshigi 1 0 3 8 95 Kyoto 1 0 2 7 86 Shizuoka 1 1 4 6 87 Nagazaki 1 0 2 6 78 Totori 1 0 2 6 79 Okayama 1 0 2 5 610 Shiga 1 0 2 5 611 Wakayama 1 0 2 5 612 Hyogo 1 0 1 4 513 Ishikawa 1 1 2 3 514 Kagawa 1 0 3 4 515 Nara 1 0 0 4 516 Toyama 1 0 1 3 417 Mie 1 0 1 2 318 Shimane 1 0 1 1 219 Hiroshima 2 0 0 0 220 Fukuoka 2 0 4 4 621 Kanagawa 2 0 3 4 622 Osaka 2 0 1 3 523 Niigata 2 0 0 3 524 Gifu 2 0 0 2 425 Nagano 5 0 0 0 526 All male group 10? 0 0 0 10?

Total 35 4 45 113 162?

Social behaviorsMating Grooming Male-male greeting

Death by predation

• Collected bones • Identified age and sex

of the prey, by the teeth

• Problem: Human activity as a confound factor

Death giving birth Female was found dead, giving birth (?) 2 weeks later, fox’s

activity

Injured individuals• Injured male traveling

with the bachelor group

• Left hinder leg • Run with 3 legs

• Cooperation? Protection from predation!

Aims ➢ Study the natural behavior of this endangered Portuguese breed (using primatology methods)

Better knowledge of the social behavior and cognition of garranos

➢ Ecological importance of the breed (vs veterinarian perspective)

➢ Compare to other ponies’ species (e.g. Japanese ponies – no predation)

How ecological factors modulated the evolution of different species/breeds of horses

To promote the name of the breed and work towards their conservation and law enforcement in Portugal, working with local government

Acknowledgments Prof Matsuzawa

Prof Kohshima

Prof Hirata

Dr. Yamamoto

Dr. Monamie Ringhofer

Sota Inoue

Prof Carlos Pereira

Prof Isabelle Oliveira

Lourenço Almada

Associação do Garrano

Viana do Castelo